First Manhattan CO. LLC. Buys 20,094 Shares of Lowe’s Companies, Inc. $LOW

First Manhattan CO. LLC. increased its stake in Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,498,010 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock after buying an additional 20,094 shares during the quarter. Lowe’s Companies comprises approximately 0.9% of First Manhattan CO. LLC.’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. First Manhattan CO. LLC. owned approximately 0.27% of Lowe’s Companies worth $361,260,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Swiss RE Ltd. bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Wilkerson Advisory Group LLC bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora lifted its position in Lowe’s Companies by 52.5% in the fourth quarter. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora now owns 122 shares of the home improvement retailer’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. United Financial Planning Group LLC bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the third quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in Lowe’s Companies in the third quarter worth $34,000. 74.06% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LOW has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on Lowe’s Companies from $315.00 to $275.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Citigroup upgraded Lowe’s Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $285.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. BTIG Research lowered Lowe’s Companies to a “reduce” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $305.00 to $278.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Finally, Gordon Haskett reduced their target price on Lowe’s Companies from $280.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Twenty-three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lowe’s Companies currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $264.57.

Lowe’s Companies Stock Down 3.1%

LOW stock opened at $217.12 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $227.64 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $245.84. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $203.40 and a twelve month high of $293.06. The firm has a market cap of $121.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.35, a PEG ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.86.

Lowe’s Companies (NYSE:LOW) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 20th. The home improvement retailer reported $3.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $23.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.98 billion. Lowe’s Companies had a negative return on equity of 67.96% and a net margin of 7.51%.The business’s revenue was up 10.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.92 earnings per share. Lowe’s Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.250-12.750 EPS. Research analysts expect that Lowe’s Companies, Inc. will post 12.48 EPS for the current year.

Lowe’s Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 22nd will be paid a dividend of $1.25 per share. This is an increase from Lowe’s Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 22nd. Lowe’s Companies’s payout ratio is 40.57%.

Insider Activity at Lowe’s Companies

In other news, EVP Janice Dupre sold 14,150 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.90, for a total transaction of $3,139,885.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 39,785 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,828,291.50. This trade represents a 26.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Lowe’s Companies Company Profile

Lowe’s Companies, Inc is a leading home improvement retailer that operates large-format stores and digital channels serving both do-it-yourself homeowners and professional contractors. The company offers a broad assortment of products including building materials, lumber, appliances, tools and hardware, plumbing and electrical supplies, paint, flooring, kitchen and bath fixtures, outdoor and garden products, and home decor. Lowe’s also provides a range of services such as installation, home improvement financing, tool and equipment rental, and contractor-focused sales programs.

Operations are centered on a nationwide brick-and-mortar store network supported by distribution centers and an e-commerce platform that enables online ordering, delivery and in-store pickup.